Inset: Kimberly Charlton (Black Hawk County Jail). Background: The home where Charlton allegedly shot and killed her husband (Google Maps).
A 66-year-old woman from Iowa faces accusations of killing her 72-year-old husband. She allegedly shot him in the back in their home after he threatened to strike their dog with a cane.
Kimberly Ann Charlton was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of David Alan Charlton, officials reported. According to a news release from the Cedar Falls Department of Public Safety, police responded around 6:32 p.m. Wednesday to a house on Newland Drive following reports of a domestic incident involving a possible shooting. This location is approximately 100 miles southwest of Des Moines.
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On arrival, first responders discovered an adult male victim, later identified as David Charlton, with a suspected fatal gunshot wound. He was declared dead at the scene.
Authorities also found the victim’s wife, Kimberly Charlton, still at the scene and placed her under arrest.
Police said they were assisted in the case by Black Hawk County Dispatch, MercyOne Paramedics, and the Cedar Falls Fire Division.
A copy of the criminal complaint obtained by the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier newspaper provided additional details about the circumstances of the shooting.
According to the report, when questioned by detectives, Kimberly Charlton said that earlier that evening, her husband had attempted to assault her while they were in their bedroom. However, she claimed the alleged attack was stopped when their dog intervened.
David Charlton then left the bedroom, returning a short while later with his walking cane and threatened to beat the dog, Kimberly Charlton reportedly said. The dog reportedly went down the hallway and David Charlton followed the animal, still wielding the cane. As her husband went after the dog,
Kimberly Charlton allegedly grabbed a firearm from a dresser in the bedroom, went into the hallway, and told her husband, “I’m going to shoot you if you don’t stop.” When he did not stop, Kimberly Charlton allegedly admitted to firing a single shot that struck her husband in the center of his back.
Kimberly Charlton is currently being held in the Black Hawk County Jail in lieu of $1 million bond, records show.
